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Everybody's Playing Defense
Kenny Raymond's play on a ground ball during Tuesday's win over Tecumseh has become the routine during the Devils' win streak. "It seems like they catch everything," said winning pitcher, Braden Price.
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05/06/09 - Sonny Fulks/1570wptw.com
The Tipp Red Devils won their 12th game in a row Tuesday, a 6-2 decision over Tecumseh, in the manner that’s become so routine you’d believe they could win the next twelve just as easy.
Sophomore Braden Price won his fourth game of the season. Camden Sauls hit his 9th homer of the season. Catcher Steven McGeorge went 3 for 3 to continue his torrid hitting, and Ryan Koopman was dominating at the end, earning his third save of the season. Add near-perfect defense and you have a formula for success that’s easily repeatable.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to play 50 games with this group the way they’re playing?” grinned pitching coach Jim Johnson afterwards. “How great would that be?”
Well, it is fun, and to a man the men in the middle of the Red Devils’ success confess that everyone…even coach Bruce Cahill…is enjoying the ride.
“Our pitchers are throwing strikes and our defense is making plays,” said Sauls, whose home run puts him within one of the single-season mark set by Aaron Lucas back in 1992. “I know this…Coach Cahill has loosened up and he's a lot more fun since we’ve been winning.”
“They’re giving us a lot of confidence because we know we’re going to be in every game we play,” added shortstop David Moore, talking about the pitchers. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball.”
Tipp jumped out early, scoring twice in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Moore that scored Jordan Stum from third base, and on Sauls’ mammoth blast to left field with nobody on.
They added single runs in the fourth and the fifth, unearned runs that came about from Tipp’s aggressive base running. On the night Stum, Sauls, Jeremiah Skow and Dan Strawser accounted for six stolen bases. Two more runs in the sixth salted away the win.
The story, once again, was pitching. And on a night when sophomore Cory Gringrich pitched a no-hitter for the JV team against Tecumseh over in New Carlisle, the depth and quality of the Red Devils’ pitching staff was more than magnified by Price’s effort, who pitched on the freshman team just a year ago. Tuesday he won without his best stuff.
“He had nothing,” laughed Johnson. “All he had tonight was his control and his focus on moving the ball in and out. I told him in the bullpen...don’t worry about it, just don’t leave the ball in the middle of the plate.”
“That was it,” admitted the Devils’ sophomore. “I wasn’t trying to strike anyone out. I was just trying to throw strikes and let my defense work behind me. They’ve been great. It seems like they catch everything."
Indeed they did…a slick 4-6-3 double play ended the first inning. Another unassisted double play from Moore to first baseman Ryan Koopman ended the second. And back to back running catches in center by Sauls in the eighth punctuated his two-hit night at the plate.
But the pitching…top to bottom, from Stum, Price, Koehler, Moore, Kyle Stover and Koopman…is what has Jim Johnson wishing for an extended season.
“They’re all very coachable,” he says. “They listen and they work hard to throw strikes. For the fact of control this may be the best group I’ve ever had. They seem to build on their success. And I can tell you…this is an entirely different Ryan Koopman than the one that pitched last year. We have some pretty good hitters in our lineup and he gained a lot of confidence before the season when he discovered they couldn’t hit him in the inter-squad games.”
Now 11-2 in Central Buckeye Conference play, the Red Devils are suddenly in the mix for at least a share of the league title. With three games to play they trail Kenton Ridge by a half game and play the Cougars Friday at Clawson Field (5 PM on WPTW) for a share of the league lead.
“We’re taking things one game at a time,” said Cahill. “If we continue to pitch and play defense we’re going to be fine. I’d like for us to have some better at bats, but tonight Steve (McGeorge) had three hits and Daniel Strawser had a big hit to drive in a run in the fourth. We got production throughout the lineup.
“This was a good game for us because Tecumseh really played us hard last night and took the game into extra innings. We knew they’d come back tonight with a lot of desire. I think confidence in our pitching and the way we’ve been playing made the difference.”
A difference that makes winning suddenly look easy. Twelve in a row and trust it…if David Moore’s having the most fun of his life, a baker’s dozen on Friday would be downright nuts!
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